Looking back on my Neelin experience

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2024 (568 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the Class of 2024, graduation is fast approaching. For Neelin, June 26 is only a little over two weeks away. As it creeps closer and closer, it makes me become nostalgic for everything that has occurred over the past four years. As I’m in the last stretch before graduation, I’ve begun to realize just how fast my high school years have flown by.

I left middle school in the midst of a pandemic – my middle school grad was on the steps of my school, where we stood in squares more than six feet apart. We were only allowed a few minutes per group, so as fast as we were ushered to it, we left just as quickly. It was a lacklustre end to the middle school experience, for a lack of better terms. Entering high school felt the same – it was uncertain at that point whether we would even be able to attend high school in-person, and it was left in limbo for quite some time before the decision was made.

My first day of high school was possibly the weirdest first day ever — but the most memorable part was my homeroom teacher Mr. Crossin telling us that high school would be over before we knew it. I don’t think anyone in that room truly understood the truth of his words.

Grade 9 itself went by quicker than anything one could imagine, partly due to the fact that my grade was divided into two cohorts — last names starting with A to K, the second group L to Z. We would switch the days each half would attend school, the other days allotted for virtual learning. For many “off” days, I would spend the time sleeping over our Teams calls or screen recording our classes so I wouldn’t miss any information (only later realizing that I didn’t catch any of the audio)! Although it felt underwhelming at the time, as I look back at the circumstances, it felt a lot “calmer” coming into high school. For me, when we went back to full in-person learning with everyone, I felt comfortable at Neelin. Although I often think about the “what ifs” of that year, I feel grateful for what Neelin made of it. We had small school events to bring students together and the teachers had a lot of grace for us. There was a lot of compassion for students — the support was honestly really refreshing.

I feel as if my high school experience really started in the second semester of Grade 10. It was in March when most of the mandates were lifted, and we were able to hold our first Grade Wars — our first school-wide event. High school felt like actual high school — finally. From there, everything felt normal. We were able to have assemblies again and have school-wide events where we could all come together. For that, I am so grateful that we, the Class of 2024, were able to have a normal senior year — we even were able to accomplish a huge milestone by winning every single Grade Wars since we began high school. Many of us weren’t even sure that we would be out of COVID-19 by now, and here we are. Most of all, I feel happy that the freshmen, such as my younger brother, will be able to enjoy their full four years of high school, uninterrupted. Additionally, I am undeniably grateful for the connections I have made with not only my peers, but also with teachers. I carry so many good memories from classes I have had, and I fondly look back on them — many teachers made these four years much easier.

Although I’m nervous to walk the stage very soon, I’m also beyond excited for what the future holds. Neelin has shaped the person I am, and I plan to walk into this next chapter of my life with my head held high. The Class of 2024’s high school experience might’ve started off uncertainly and with many obstacles, but we are ending it on the best note possible. The statement, “Once a Spartan, always a Spartan,” rings true in this last stretch before graduation and I will hold it close to my heart.

» Shayla Ramsden is a Grade 12 student at École secondaire Neelin High School.